(This is a tribute site for Dave run by Mike Arnold)
Ok, here's the story...
Childhood friends Dave Dullea and Lance Anderson were out scouting Boston nightclubs for a lead singer. It was 1988 and they were forming a new band. One night in Kenmore Square's Narcissus, the singer of local band The Pact impressed them both. Never having a chance to talk with him, they continued their search...
A few months later, having a few beers in Allston's Bunnrattys, Dave and Lance spotted that singer again and asked if he was still in that band. Jim Marr said "no" and the core of the band began to take shape. They got together in the basement of a hair salon, in Chelsea Massachusetts, to write some songs. For several months and with no luck, they searched for a bass player.
In the meantime, Jim had been hanging out with a guitar player by the name of Roy Porter, who was in a band named Damager. Jim suggested a second guitar player for a few weeks but Dullea wasn't thrilled about that idea. The three continued to write songs and search for the perfect bass player.
Hanging out on Revere Beach one summer night, Dullea said to Marr, "Roy is a real nice guy and a great guitar player, not to mention he's a madman on stage. I think we should swipe him from Damager before someone else does!"
Now an incomplete five-piece, the band was still seeking that elusive bass player. They auditioned well over a dozen but nobody seemed to be right. UNTIL...one rainy night in a dirty Chelsea Strip club. Mike Tyson just lost his first fight on the big screen as they ran into one Anthony Giordano. Tony had been in and out of several local bands over the years and was looking for something serious.
Let the fun begin!
Over the next four years, TPA worked their way from just another local band to a popular live act in the New England hard rock/heavy metal scene. With the help of Manager Ron Tams, they packed in the crowds and earned a loyal fan base. As they began to open for national acts, such as, Mass (one of TPA's personal favorites) Kix, Enuff-z-nuff, Extreme, Armored Saint, and Loudness just to name a few. They had hoped and tried for that big record deal, but like so many other talented bands it just never came.
After a long & successful standing as one of Boston’s most respected live acts with songs like “Whiskey River Road†&†White Collar Junkieâ€, 1992 brought many changes for Tin Pan Alley. Original members Jim Marr (vocals) & Roy Porter (guitar) had left the band to persue other interests.
In an attempt to continue the success achieved by the original line up, and with the national & local music scene constantly changing, Dave took the band in a much different direction. With Tommy Plevin (Shout) replacing Porter on 2nd guitar, and the powerful vocals of Russ Chalmers (Bone II Bone) placed center stage, this version of T.P.A. had a much heavier sound than its predecessor. Theses changes allowed the band to become two separate and equally successful entities sharing the same name. A risky move that proved acceptable with most dedicated TPA fans.
With an idea of where he wanted to go musically, Dullea led the band into the studio in the spring of 1992. With producer Drew Ferrante at the controls, they cut the basic tracks for 8 new songs. The boys where very satisfied with the early results of these recordings. It was the best work any of them had ever done & all involved felt confident that once the recording/mixing process was complete, they would be able to attract the interest of any number of major labels.
With the core of the new songs in the can, the band began rehearsing for upcoming appearances to showcase their new line up, with intentions of finishing the recording at a later date. Throughout the summer they kept a demanding schedule of gigs in and around Boston, Rhode Island, Connecticut and a pair of trips to New York. Word of mouth about the band was good, and each time they passed through they were playing to more people than the previous visit.
As the Fall turned to winter, the band & crew embarked on a weeks worth of shows that would take them out of state and end at the Rathskellar here at home. During this trip internal friction between band members manifested itself in ways it had not previously. Unfortunatley this led to the lead singer Russ Chalmers departure, with Lance Anderson following soon after. To borrow a line from Areosmith’s Joe Perry : “Cooler heads would have prevailed, but we weren’t, and they didn’tâ€.
Ultimately the 8 song demo that they put on the back burner was never completed, But were thinking about getting back into the studio to finish it! No Promises...
